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Multiple employees at a Texas IHOP have been fired over racial discrimination allegations, CBS Texas reports.
Keisha Mitchell and her boyfriend Elvis Polley said an IHOP waitress in Mesquite refused to serve them because of their race.
"That is a very traumatic experience. You don't know what your thoughts are reactions are going to be until you experience something like that," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said they visited the IHOP to celebrate Polley's 49th birthday last month and were in disbelief at how they were treated.
"When we got to the restaurant, we were told that we were not going to be serviced because of our color," Mitchell said. "It is a shock, and your brain is not processing what you're hearing."
According to Mitchell, another employee admitted that their waitress wouldn't serve them because they were Black.
In a video shared on social media, a manager says: "One of our morning servers, she's 'picky.'"
"She didn't want to say she was racist, she said she's 'picky.' No, that's not being 'picky' if you're selecting only a certain group of people that you want to serve," Mitchell said.
In a statement, IHOP franchise Anthraper Restaurants confirmed that the employees involved in the incident had been fired.
"Since our founding, we have strived to create warm and hospitable dining experiences for all guests, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind, or actions that allude to any form of discrimination. We have fully investigated this matter and taken appropriate actions, including termination of the employees involved. This isolated incident is not reflective of our ongoing commitment to our guests and Team Members.
Additionally, we will be providing additional anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training to ensuring that all remaining Team Members understand the company's unwavering intolerance of any prohibited form of discrimination."
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